Love Never Dies
by futureauthor13
Summary: 'With no daughter to take care of, another person was on his mind. Someone that never failed to make his undead heart ache whenever he thought about her, and yet he never wanted to forget her.' Hotel Transylvania Oneshot. DraculaxMartha. Contains spoilers.


**I've been thinking of doing a oneshot like this for a while (since the 2nd time I saw the movie actually). Bit different from my usual fluffy style, but I still liked writing it. Anyway, enjoy.**

It was the second time he had left the hotel in the last one hundred and seventy years. The first time was about a month ago. His first time outside in years and he ended up chasing down a plane, nearly burning himself up in the process. Talk about exciting, and exhausting.

But it was all worth it. His baby girl was happy, and was currently in Hawaii with her traveling partner/boyfriend. It had been a bit of a rough month for him, but he would always keep a straight happy face in front of his daughter, never revealing how worried he would sometimes be or how much he missed her. After all, he truly was happy for her.

But with no daughter to take care of, another person was on his mind. Someone that never failed to make his undead heart ache whenever he thought about her, and yet he never wanted to forget her.

Dracula squinted his eyes, looking over the vast land. He recognized several small landmarks. 'Just a few more miles,' he thought as he flapped his wings, increasing his pace. He wanted to reach it before morning.

As he flew over the lights of the small town that had grown over the years, the autumn wind blew through his fur, almost making him relaxed. Another hour passed, and he knew that he it was nearly time.

A castle poked out of the horizon, growing as he flew closer to it, until he finally stopped flying and landed on the path to the front door, transforming back into his vampire form.

The outside was barely different. A small sign outside and a new lock on the door were the only big differences. Looking closer, he saw that some of the windows and parts of the castle walls were replaced, probably because they were damaged or just too old. Taking a deep breath, he began to walk forward.

Placing his hand on the doorknob, he began to turn it. *Clunk* Locked. No surprise there, and no problem. After all, he still had the key.

The wood creaked as he opened the door. All the lights that had been installed in the castle were turned off for the night. The ashes and fallen wood had been cleaned up, swept away as if it never happened, although the stone walls were still darkened. On each side of the room were several clear boxes with random objects in them and signs describing what was inside them.

Nothing incredibly rare, just some fine china and silverware the mistress of the castle would have used. One item caught his eye: A gold necklace with a shiny red jewel. Free of ash and rust, it looked as new as the day he gave it to her. For a moment, he thought about taking it with him, but decided against it. It was just an old necklace now.

Other rooms like the kitchen and parlor were roped off, but surprising to him, the staircase was free to explore. The castle itself was only four floors high, but even so he stopped at the third floor.

The room was a lot bigger than the one downstairs. Violet curtains hung from the windows. They were a different color, the original ones were probably the first things to burn up. There was a new couch, a new table, new candles, new everything. It was beginning to feel less like an old home, and more like a museum (then again, that's what it was turned into).

Fortunately one thing remained the same.

A fireplace laid against the wall, a marble white contradicting the rest of the stone and wood castle. Hanging above it was a painting (not the original of course but a very good copy) of a woman. She had long, curly brown hair, and an elegant but kind face. She wore a black dress and a chocker with a pink stone. Her hands were folded, and she was posed like a true lady.

He gazed up at the picture as he walked towards it. Jonathan's words were echoing in his head.

_It felt like there was still a soul trapped inside._

"Martha," Dracula said with a small, sad smile. The painting just stared back at him. 'Can you hear me?' he wondered, 'Are you really here?'. He didn't really know, but even so, this was his chance and he was going to take it.

"There's not a day when I don't think about you," he said, looking down at the gold ring on his finger. "Mavis, she wishes she could have known you. Wanda has told her a few stories but, still, I wish she could've known you. She's all grown up now, not our little girl anymore."

He looked back up at the picture. "Martha, you would be so proud. She's everything you could wish for, and more." Their perfect daughter. "Our hotel is doing well too. All our old friends still visit at least once a year. It's nice to know some things never change."

Silence echoed through the castle. A nagging voice told him, 'this isn't what you came here for'. He sighed.

"Martha. If you really are here... I..." He closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I-I'm sorry I never said goodbye."

His chest ached as he flashed back to that one tragic night so many years ago. Fire surrounding the castle, angry villagers pounding at their doors. Her scream.

He could still remember running towards her. Even his vampire speed wasn't enough. When he found her, lying on the floor with a knife sticking out of her side and their child was on the floor, wailing but thankfully unharmed. Before the villagers could make another move, he grabbed Mavis and roared at the mob, flashing his blood-red eyes at them.

A few of the villagers backed off, but most of them stood their ground, shouting words like "Demon" and "Burn". They were getting closer. If it was just him he would have had nothing to worry about. But it wasn't just him. He had an injured wife, and a frightened vulnerable child.

Looking down at his baby, Dracula made his decision. Taking his speed to its highest level, he ran away as fast as he could, clutching the crying child close to him. Once he was a few miles away, he finally stopped.

The sky was orange, the fire still burning. He watched it burn just for a few moments before turning to the crying baby. "It's okay," he said softly, "You're safe. You'll always be safe."

Dracula opened his eyes once again, but kept them on the floor. "I didn't even know if you were still alive." Could he have saved them both? He would never know.

"Martha, I'm sorry I left you alone. I don't regret my decision to save Mavis, but I wish I could have saved you too. I hope you can for give me."

The sun would be rising in a couple hours. He had said all he needed to say. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. He wasn't completely guilt free, but at least now she didn't have to wait for him. Now she could be free.

Putting a hand in his jacket pocket, he pulled out a single violet rose and placed it on the fireplace mantle. "Goodbye, my love," he said to the painting before turning away. He walked towards the open window across the room, and was getting ready to transform.

A warm autumn wind blew behind him. It blew by his ears, and made him stop in his tracks. Because, for a moment, just faintly, he heard a voice that he thought was lost forever.

"I still love you Vlad."

A thousand memories flooded over him. A warm summer night replaced the cool autumn weather.

_"I'm so sorry I, well, I suppose that's one way to meet a person."_

_"I'm Lady Laubode, but you can call me Martha."_

_"Vlad Dracula, I like that name."_

_"I wouldn't mind hearing a song."_

_"What if there was a place, just for monsters, where they wouldn't have to worry about hiding from humans?"_

_"Yes, of course I will."_ He could still see the happy tears roll down her face as he kneeled on one knee.

_"I do, for the rest of my life."_

_"Vlad, we're going to have a little girl."_

_"I think we should name her, Mavis."_

_"I love you Vlad."_

Slowly, he turned back around and faced the picture. She looked at him, the framed painting almost looking alive now. He smiled despite the tears running down his face. "I love you too, Martha."

He transformed into a bat, and flew out into the night.

()()()()()()

He took the towel off his head, and his bright red hair was dry and poofy. With a relaxed sigh, he laid down on the hotel bed and was about to turn on the tv when his cell phone rang. He quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Jonathan?"

"Drac?" Johnny said in surprise, "Uh, if you wanna talk to Mavis she just got in the shower but she should be out in a few-"

"No no. Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"Me?" What could he want to talk to him about? Was he in trouble or something?

"I just wanted to say, thank you."

Jonathan blinked again. "Uh, you're welcome but, why are you thanking me?"

Dracula smiled. "Because, you got me to do something I should have done a long time ago."

**Please review :) Also, quick apology just in case: I couldn't find Johnny's version of Martha's death ANYWHERE! So if I got that one line wrong, I'm sorry (I've seen the movie three freaking times I should know it *Face palm*). **


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